How did you come to start decorating cakes?

Newbies and Cake Veteran Extrodinaires, we all have a story... how did you come to start the hobby (or business) of cake decoration? Did you watch your mother create gorgeous cakes from your high chair? Or hadnt you baked a day in your life until you were married? Why did you decorate your first cake? what was it?

As for me, ive always been on the creative side of life. Loved dabbling in all kinds of arts and crafts. You name it, ive had a crack at it already. Drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, decoupaging furnature, ceramics, scrapbooking, miniature dollhouse decorating etc etc... and when I say "had a crack at it" I mean, really given it a fair go, spent (a little too much) money on tools or items for it and youtubed it to death for tips and stuff. Most of it I was not very good at.

My problem is patience and time. I dont like a project to stretch out too long. for example, Painting takes a very long time to complete one piece. Weeks, sometimes months! I loose interest before im halfway through. And some things take up alot of time, but cant be done at ANY time you like. For example, furnature decoupage cant be tackled whilst a toddler is at your feet unless your willing to risk your little one devouring half a tub of mod podge and sticking toys onto your project.

So I was kind of at a dead end as to what to do. I still hadnt found my ... "thing". I wish I could sew but im useless at it. Anyways Cake Decorating was kind of thrust upon me via necessity. Being on a tight budget we couldnt afford to purchase pretty birthday cakes. At $50 a pop for a rather simple boring cake, it just wasnt an option. I ended up getting my daughters 1st birthday cake from the local bakery. It was $45 for a round cake that would give 10 serves!! It was literally just chocolate sponge, with chocolate frosting on the top and happy birthday piped on top. I dressed it up with little pink trinkets I had in my craft collection and a pink satin ribbon. I was dissappointed at the sheer boringess of the cake when a 1st birthday is so special. Was kind of pleased with myself that I improved it so much though. Then my step sister's son had his first birthday and she sent me a pic of his cake which she had made herself. It was a number one with a little bath on top with bubbles everywhere and then she had purchased rubber duckies and placed them here and there.

I loved it and was surprised that she made it herself. I didnt know you COULD make cakes like that yourself. That you could buy moulds, decorating tips, books that have how-to's and so on... really?! (mum didnt teach us how to cook anything at all let alone bake cool things like cakes). So I was determined. Next birthday, she will have a bigarse cake of anything she liked! that time came around and she wanted a hi5 cake. I had a go at it and it was a bit of a disaster. Ugly thing it was. But I knew thats because I hadnt done my homework like I should have. So I went online and had a look at all the cake deco things I could find. wass pretty excited after seeing sites like this one and realising all the different things i could try and all the different options I had etc.

I was like a kid in a candy shop. I wanted it all...NOW! And I still want it all now...but am trying to be sensible with the tools I buy and the things I bake. although the 1st cake was a mess, the first fancy cupcake endeavour was really great, I did buttercream flowers using the large wilton petal tip. I messed with marshmallow fondant which didnt turn out great but I have the potential to be quite successful with it i think...i hope. Then I caught wind of gumpaste/fondant people and the rest is history...im itching to try out everyrhing possible! time and money permitting of course. But thats my journey so far.

Whats yours?